Canadian composer, conductor, pianist, and organist Donald Patriquin (b. 1938) is

best known for his choral folksong arrangements but is also a composer of many original

works. Songs of Innocence, which Patriquin calls “one of my very best choral works,”

exemplifies his approach to setting text to music and provides a rich opportunity for

understanding Patriquin’s method of selecting text, creating a kind of libretto out of the

available text, setting the text to music, and conceiving of and composing instrumental

parts equal in importance to the choral parts. Also evident in this work is his attention to

such elements as precise word painting, varied theoretical approaches, and a general

musical aesthetic that focuses on beauty. This quintessential composition provides

important insights into Patriquin’s personal artistry and his approach to composition.

Patriquin does not fit text to music; instead, all of the musical elements are generated out

of the textual nuances. Patriquin’s comments on the work and his process, gleaned from

extensive email correspondence and his attendance at the U.S. premiere of the work,

provide important insights that can inform conductors and singers of his music. The study

of this suite highlights Patriquin’s expert crafting of musical elements and the methodical

layering of elements he combines to tell the musical story. Pairing Patriquin’s email

correspondence with an in-depth look at Songs of Innocence reveals his overarching

compositional ideas and underlying musical motivations.

ABSTRACT

The early music revival in Paris, which came into full swing in the 1890s, had a defining impact on the composer Claude Debussy. Among the leaders of this movement were the Chanteurs de Saint Gervais under the direction of Charles Bordes and the Schola Cantorum, a school Bordes founded for the study and performance of early music in Paris. Debussy wrote admiringly of the performances of the Chanteurs and opera productions he saw at the Schola. He also spoke of the revelatory nature of performances of Renaissance masses that he heard in Italy after he won the Prix de Rome. Finally, he most likely visited Solesmes, important in the revival of plainchant. Hitherto unknown documents raise questions about the date of that visit, which most likely took place in 1892 or 1893.

A powerful manifestation of the influence of early music on Debussy’s compositional style is a melodic gesture that he referred to as “arabesque.” Debussy made many comments about the “divine arabesque,” which he related to the “primitives,” Palestrina, Victoria, and di Lasso. Further, Debussy connected those composers’ use of the arabesque to plainchant: “They found the basis of [the arabesque] in Gregorian chant, whose delicate tracery they supported with twining counterpoints.”

Debussy’s writings on early music provide a deeper context for understanding how plainchant, as well as music from the Renaissance, contributed to his compositional style, specifically in his use of modes and his notion of the arabesque. These influences are especially apparent in his only a cappella choral work, Trois chansons de Charles d’Orléans.

Until now, analysis of the Trois chansons has not sufficiently considered the importance of either plainchant or the arabesque and their influence on the style and character of this work. Viewing Debussy’s musical aesthetic through the lens of plainchant and the arabesque brings his music to life in a new and exciting way, resulting in a richer understanding and more informed performance practice, especially in the Trois chansons de Charles d’Orléans.